Vengeance or Love?
by Mav16
Summary: Will she avenge her parents' deaths, or will she open up to the ones she cares about most? Disclaimer: I do not own The Mortal Instruments, Cassandra Clare does.
1. Chapter 1

_Thump_. The knife hit the target, right in the middle. A perfect shot. Clary wasn't phased by her impeccable accuracy, though. You see, _every_ shot was a perfect shot. Whatever the weapon, seraph blade, arrow, throwing star, she always hit the bullseye. She was one of the most skilled Shadowhunters in the world. She was the best of the best of the best, and she knew it. Clary was in her loft, in New York City, which doubled as a practice area. It was full of mats and practice dummies, most of which had been mangled, as well as weapons covering every wall. It was bright and airy, while also being cozy. She looked around. This, to her, was her sanctuary, her safe place, her home. Here she could be who she was on inside, without letting the world see her true self.

Clary didn't belong to an Institute, like other Shadowhunters, even though she was underage. Most underage Shadowhunters had to live in an Institute, under supervision, but seeing how capable Clary was of defending herself, and how unwilling she was to live like the others, the Clave had made an exception. Like others of her kind, she had to follow _lots_ of rules, some of which applied only to her. The most important ones were threefold: She had to get every mission approved by the Clave, unless it was an emergency; a supervisor had to come every month to check on her living situation to make sure she was still capable of living on her own as an underage Shadowhunter, even though she was almost eighteen; and most importantly, she had to stay of of trouble.

.o.O.o.

Today was one of the days where a supervisor came to check up on her. She had cleaned her loft so it was spotless. She didn't want to give the Clave any reason to make her leave her home. The doorbell rang. _I wonder who that is_ , Clary thought sarcastically. She opened the door. It was a Shadowhunter she didn't know. He was dressed in gear, like Clary; wearing a black, leathery outfit that consisted of a long sleeve shirt and pants that were protective like armor, but flexible at the same time. He had runes covering his whole body, also like Clary. His hair was jet black and he had blue eyes. _He's really tall_ , Clary thought, though, that wasn't saying much considering Clary was short for her age. "Come in," said Clary. He stepped in and stuck his hand out.

"I'm Alec Lightwood," said the boy.

"Clary," she said, in a professional voice. She knew she wasn't the most warm person to be around. She had been called cold-hearted, unsympathetic, distant, etc. After her parents, Jocelyn and Luke Garroway, died, she shut anyone and everyone out, and had stayed that way through her adolescence. Alec was walking around, writing in a binder. _He sure seems to be taking a lot of notes_ , Clary thought.

After a few short minutes, Alec took one final look around, and said, "I think I have everything I need. Have a good day, Clary." She smiled thinly. She walked him to the door and shook his hand again. After he left, she closed the door, and leaned against it. Clary's mind was running a mile a minute. She was asking herself questions such as, _Why did Alec take so many notes? Why didn't he ask me more questions about my life in the past month? Is something going to happen to my freedom?_ She had a really bad feeling about this past visit. She didn't know why, but she knew whatever it was wasn't good. Clary decided that since she wasn't accomplishing anything by worrying about what's to come, she was going to try and sleep.

.o.O.o.

A couple of days had passed since the strange check-in by Alec Lightwood. Clary was starting to relax about the visit, and thinking how ridiculous she was for psyching herself out about it. She went to grab an apple from the fridge for breakfast and realized that she was out. Actually, she was out of a lot of things. Clary decided to go out to Java Jones for breakfast, maybe get a muffin, and then go to the grocery store. Once Clary got to Java Jones, she went up to the counter and ordered a coffee, black, and a blueberry muffin. She took a seat at a table while she waited for her name to be called with her order. Clary scanned the room, and realized that in the far corner, at a booth, there was a group of three Shadowhunters and a warlock. The Shadowhunters consisted of Alec Lightwood, whom she recognized, a sleek black-haired girl with a model-like body, and a boy who looked as if he had been dipped in melted gold. The warlock had eyes like a cat's, and seemed to be covered in glitter. Clary realized that they had felt the weight of her gaze when they had all turned to look at her. The golden boy smirked at her, and she narrowed her eyes at him.

After a second, she heard, "Clary?" It was the girl at the counter with her order. She got up to retrieve it, and without a second glance at the corner booth, she walked out. At the store, Clary was about to get into the checkout line after getting everything she needed, when she realized that her birthday was tomorrow. Ever since her parents had passed, she'd had no one to spend her birthday with, so she had started the tradition of getting a cupcake and a candle at the store, and celebrating by herself. Once she had gotten her birthday supplies, if you could even call it that, she went home.

.o.O.o.

Today was a big day, it was Clary's eighteenth birthday. She had woken up, and made pancakes and bacon, before getting started on her daily fighting practice. She was right about to throw the glowing seraph blade in her hand when there was a knock at her door. _Hmm...who is at my door?_ , Clary thought. She was hoping it wasn't anyone important because she was covered in sweat. Clary opened the door, and standing in front of her was Maryse Lightwood. Thoughts were flying through Clary's head as to why the head of the New York Institute was standing in her doorway. She rarely made house calls, unless it's on important business.

"Maryse, what are you doing here?," wondered Clary.

"Can I come in?," Maryse asked.

"Um… sure." Maryse stepped inside and looked around as Clary closed the door. Maryse turned around and looked at Clary. She said, "Clary, I have been very lenient and respecting of your wishes to live on your own, without supervision. I feel, that because of my kindness, you should return some of your own. At the Institute, we just lost a Fighting and Defense teacher on a mission. Therefore, we are down a couple of hands, and we have too many students for too few of teachers. I was wondering if you could come teach a class of Fighting and Defense at the Institute. I would need you to move in there, as we will need all hands on deck, and we may need you at a moments notice."


	2. Chapter 2

Clary was staring at her, her lips parted slightly in surprise.

"W-what?" Clary was shocked. She honestly hadn't expected this. "I- Why me?" Clary asked.

"Because you're the best. We need the best teaching the next generation of Shadowhunters. Look, I know it's a lot to ask-"

"Um… ya, it kind of is," said Clary. She didn't want to move. She liked her life; she liked living alone, it was quiet and peaceful. "That's a big change. I know Shadowhunters my age normally live in Institutes all their life-"

"Which is why I was hoping you would _please_ do this. The Clave, especially me, have been incredibly generous in your living situation. The main reason we allowed this was because of how important your parents were to the Clave - and the fact that your parents were some of my closest friends. They were great Shadowhunters, and so are you. We, at the Institute, _really_ need you as a part of our team."

Clary looked at Maryse. Maryse looked as if she were begging, but trying to hide it. Clary sighed. "Okay…" she said. If this were anyone else asking, she would have shot them down in an instant, but this was Maryse. Maryse, like she said, had been a close family friend. Clary's parents had cared for Maryse, so the least she could do was help out at the Institute.

Maryse exhaled, as if she had been holding her breath waiting for Clary's response. "Thank you so much Clary. I know you prefer to live alone, especially after what happened to Jocelyn and Luke, but I know you'll get used to life at the Institute. You may even like it." She winked. "I need you to move in as soon as possible, so I am going to have some Shadowhunters come and help you pack and move, today."

"Alright," Clary said. Her mind was whirling. _Move to the Institute, today?! This is insane!_ Clary thought. Maryse moved towards the door, and Clary followed. Clary opened the door for Maryse, and Maryse walked out into the hall.

Clary had almost closed the door when Maryse turned around. "Clary," she said.

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

Clary smiled. "You're welcome Maryse."

.o.O.o.

A couple of hours had passed since Maryse had been over. Clary had started to pack a little. There was a knock at her door. She opened it. They were the Shadowhunters Maryse had promised. Clary stepped to the side to let them in. They had brought boxes to put all of her things in. After a few hours, everything of Clary's was packed up. They started carrying them downstairs to a truck. Once everything had been put in the moving truck, Clary had run back upstairs one last time. She wanted to say goodbye to what had been her home for almost three years. It was eerie how empty it was. It was as if she hadn't lived there at all. She had a pit in her stomach; she was sad and uneasy. _Stop_ , she told herself. _Clary Fairchild does not feel for ridiculous things like apartments. She is strong and does not let her emotions show, especially to others._ Clary took one last look at her temporary home, and shut the door behind her. She ran downstairs and hopped into the truck.

They rolled into the Institute's driveway. Clary got out and looked in awe at the huge and glorious cathedral. It was beautiful, with its high arches and big windows. It had details everywhere, making it even more breathtaking. Despite its beauty, it was also incredibly intimidating. She followed the movers up to the doors, which opened under their touch. _Wow_ , Clary thought. It was even more beautiful than the outside. It had high ceilings covered in paintings. Large tapestries decorated the walls, depicting historical scenes from Shadowhunter history. Their footsteps echoed on the marble floor within the long halls. Maryse hurried into the main hall, where Clary and the movers were standing to await their directions. As Maryse saw Clary, she smiled. "Again, thanks for coming, really," said Maryse. "Come on, I'll show you to your room." They walked up some stairs, down a maze of halls, past a number of identical-looking doors. "This particular floor has all of the bedrooms," Maryse pointed out. They came to a stop at a door that looked like all of the rest. Maryse opened the door. "Clary, this is your room." Clary stepped inside, it was huge. It had a king-sized four-poster bed with curtains drawn back on all sides. There was a huge window on either side of the bed, looking towards Central Park. There was a sofa and chairs facing a fireplace on the farthest side of the room. In the corner was a desk. "What'd you think?" asked Maryse.

"It's beautiful," breathed Clary.

"I knew you'd like it," said Maryse. "Come on, it's almost dinner time. You can meet everyone then." Clary followed Maryse out of the room towards the dining area. The dining room was just as dazzling as the rest of the Institute. The main focus was, obviously, the table in the middle of the room. It was quite long; it had eight chairs on either side, and one at each head of the table. There were six place settings; one at the head, three on one side, and two on the other side of the table. Maryse walked Clary to the side of the table with the two place settings and gestured for her to sit in the chair closest to the head. Then, she told the maid to go fetch the rest of the children and tell them it was time for dinner. A few minutes later four other people walked in. Clary stood to greet them. Maryse introduced them: Alec she already knew; Isabelle was the one who had sleek black hair; Max was the youngest, he had short light-brown hair with hazel eyes and freckles on his face; Jace was the boy who looked as if he was made from pure gold. "Guys, this is Clary Fairchild." They smiled at her. Alec held out his hand. "Nice to see you again Clary," said Alec.

"You too," Clary said politely. She stuck her hand out towards Isabelle. "Nice to meet you," said Clary, but instead of Isabelle shaking Clary's hand, she pulled Clary into a hug. This made Clary incredibly uncomfortable, and it must've shown on her face because Jace looked as if he were trying to suppress a laugh. Isabelle let go of Clary.

"Ugh finally! Another girl here besides mom." Clary smiled thinly. She hoped Isabelle wasn't expecting her to play dress-up, because she would much rather mutilate training dummies in the practice room. Clary squatted down to shake Max's hand. He looked about nine years old. "Nice to meet you Max."

"You too," he responded. Lastly, Jace held his hand out to Clary. They shook hands, his hand gripping hers a second too long. His hand felt like a hot plate against her icy fingers.

"Shall we sit?" Maryse asked. We all sat down. The chef had prepared a beef and vegetable stew on rice. Even though it smelled fantastic, Clary wasn't very hungry. With the move, the sudden change in her life, she still felt uneasy. Max was eyeing Clary.

"Why are you here again?" he asked.

"Max! I told you, she will be stepping in in Hodge's place," said Maryse. Isabelle was also looking at Clary strangely.

"You look fam- Oh ya! We saw you at Java Jones the other day. We would have said 'Hi' had you not been in such a hurry."

"I wasn't really in a hurry. I just wanted to go to the store and then get home to practice," responded Clary. Clary turned to Maryse. "Where is Mr. Lightwood?" she asked.

"Robert is in Idris on Clave business," said Maryse, although there was something in her dark brown eyes that told Clary that that wasn't the whole truth.

.o.O.o.

Once dinner was done,Clary headed back to her room. She unzipped one of her suitcases. Inside was the cupcake that she had bought at the store. She also pulled out some candles. She stuck a candle in the cupcake, and lit it. She had started humming _Happy Birthday_ to herself when there was a knock at her door. Still holding her lit cupcake, Clary opened the door. It was Jace.

"I- Why are you holding a lit cupcake?" he wondered.

"Oh," Clary looked down at her cupcake, "it's my birthday." He looked at her, and for a split second she thought he had looked sorry for her, but then he smiled.

"Come on." He grabbed her wrist and pulled her along behind him. They arrived at the kitchen. He went to the fridge and pulled out a huge chocolate cake. He got out two plates, two forks, and a cutting knife. He served her a piece, and then served himself. He went over to a drawer and pulled out a candle and a lighter. He stuck the candle in her piece and lit it. "Make a wish," he said. Clary closed her eyes, thought of a wish, and blew it out. They both took a bite of their cake.

"Mmmmm," Clary said. "This is much better than my cupcake was going to be."

"I know." Jace smiled. "I cannot believe you were going to spend your birthday alone in your room with that sad little cupcake. A person should never be alone on their birthday. I couldn't let you do that." A smile tugged on the corners of Clary's mouth. He gave her a weird feeling in the depths of her stomach, but she dismissed it.

"Thank you Jace."

"You're welcome Clary. Happy Birthday!"


	3. Chapter 3

Clary woke up early the next morning, which wasn't unusual for her. After Jace had pulled her to the kitchen to give her a small birthday celebration, she had gone to bed, but it had been hard for her to sleep considering she wasn't in her own home. Since she was awake, she decided she might as well eat a quick breakfast, and head to the training room. She got dressed in a green tank top and black leggings, and headed down to the kitchen. She grabbed an apple and ran back up the stairs, biting into her apple on the way. By the time Clary had found the training room, she had finished the apple, and tossed the core in a trash can. Clary stood in awe when she saw all of the equipment and room in front of her. She was excited to try all of the gadgets in front of her. She started by warming up with some stretches, and then rope climbing. After that she started her favorite part, the fun stuff. She started by practicing her sword fighting skills. Lately, she had been practicing more with swords that she wasn't familiar with, so that she could be prepared to use any weapon thrown at her. She spotted a shamshir hanging on the wall. A shamshir is a curved saber that tapers at the tip. _It's beautiful_ , Clary thought to herself, as she looked at the sharp gleaming blade. The light bounced off of it giving it a luminescent look. Since it was made of _adamas_ and was covered in runes, it glowed as her hand touched it, considering she was a Shadowhunter. She walked over to one of the training dummies and started practicing. She practiced until she got the hang of it, and soon after the dummy was a pile of foam, and she was covered in sweat. She walked over to put the shamshir back and decided to dial down her workout with some throwing stars. She grabbed a few and headed over back over to the mats and took her stance in front of the target. She was a great span away from one of the targets; to others it might seem too far, but for Clary, it was a regular distance. She threw one of throwing stars. It whistled through the air and landed directly in the middle of the target with a thump. She turned her direction towards the target on her left and threw another star. It, again, hit the middle of the bullseye with pristine accuracy. She repeated this on the target to the right of her. She turned around and was about to hit the target that had been behind her when she saw Jace standing in front of it. She jumped slightly. He was smirking at her, his eyes a mix of amusement and wonderment. "Impressive," said Jace. She just looked at him.

"Could you please move?" she asked him, obviously annoyed. He held his hands up in a mocking surrender and stepped to the side. The throwing star hit the target where his head had been a moment ago. He glanced at it. His eyes followed her as she walked to each target to gather the stars, and put them back on the weapons wall. Feeling the weight of his gaze, she turned around and looked at him sharply. "What?" she asked with indignation, her eyes narrowing.

"Nothing, just trying to figure you out." A look of surprise crossed her face, but it was quickly masked by antipathy.

"Well, don't," she said bitterly. At that she stalked out of the room.

.o.O.o.

After a moment, Jace walked out of the room, amusement filling his mind. _She's something else_ , he thought to himself. He had watched Clary get the hang of the shamshir, one of the hardest swords to master if he might add, within minutes and then mutilate a dummy with it. Then she had grabbed those throwing stars and hit each target with incredible accuracy like it was nothing. She amazed him, though he didn't want to admit it to himself. He started thinking about how her leggings had hugged her small curves and how her green tank top had brought out her eyes. It stirred something inside of him and he didn't know what it was, making him uneasy. _What is she doing to me?_ he asked himself as he headed to his room.

.o.O.o.

Clary headed straight for her shower. She was sweaty from her workout, and she needed to clear her head. _Just trying to figure you out_ Jace had said. _Why? Why? Why me?_ Clary asked herself over and over again. The way Jace had been looking at her made her squirm. It was unpleasant...but it still gave her a good feeling in the depths of her stomach at the same time. She felt as though he could see right through her walls. _No_ , she scolded herself. She wouldn't let anyone interfere with her ultimate goal, to find and kill the man who murdered her parents, Valentine. She wasn't about to let Jace or any of the others get close and ruin this for her.


	4. Chapter 4

"Tell me what you know!" Clary yelled.

"I told you, I don't know anything," the demon hissed. Clary glared at the demon's slimy face. It had four eyes, each completely black. It's mouth consisted of three rows of jagged teeth dripping with venom. With a deep breath, Clary took her glowing seraph blade and slowly dragged it down the demon's face. It's skin sizzled and started leaking black ichor at the touch. The demon grimaced and hissed at her.

"Are you sure about that? It wouldn't do you good to lie to me. Although, if you are, then I will take great pleasure in cutting you into a million little pieces… slowly." Clary smiled with malice.

"I don't know a lot, and even if I did, I wouldn't be able to tell you. I've been sworn to secrecy."

"Do you think I give a damn whether you were 'sworn to secrecy' or not?!" Clary said, using air quotes. "I want to know where he is!" screamed Clary, losing her temper. The demon smirked at her loss of control.

"Clary?" said a male voice. She snapped her head towards the voice. Standing there gaping at her were Alec, Isabelle, and Jace.

.o.O.o.

Jace, Alec, and Izzy had just exited Takis after eating dinner and were walking down the sidewalk on their way back to the Institute. "Are you kidding? I came back from the bathroom and _all_ of my kiwi was gone," said Izzy.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't eat it," responded Alec. Izzy looked at him incredulously. Jace snickered, but kept his mouth shut. He knew better than to get sucked into a classic Izzy-Alec dispute.

"What do you mean you don't know? I know for a fact that you ate it."

"Oh ya, and how do you know that?" Alec asked. Isabelle stopped abruptly, putting her hands on her hips.

"Alec, are you serious? Jace is allergic to kiwi, so he obviously didn't eat it, unless he was trying to kill himself. So, if you didn't eat it, and Jace didn't eat it, then who do you propose did?" Alec was about to respond when they heard the distinct sound of a demon hissing. The three siblings looked at each other, and pulled out their weapons, heading towards the hiss. As they neared the alley where the sound came from, they heard a female voice that sounded mad. They rounded the corner to see Clary cornering a demon.

"Do you think I give a damn whether you were 'sworn to secrecy'?! I want to know where he is!" she screamed, her face reddening in anger.

"Clary?" Jace asked. She whipped her head towards them, her face displaying surprise. The demon used this opportunity to jump over her and climb the building, disappearing over the top.

"Dammit!" Clary yelled slamming her hand against the brick wall of the alley. "Why'd you have to do that, huh?" Clary asked angrily, her eyes full of fury.

"Clary, what were you doing?" asked Jace.

"You let my _one_ lead get away," Clary said, as if Jace hadn't talked, "I hadn't even gotten any information out of it yet. Do you understand how far that sets me back? I was so close, _so close_!"

"So close to what? And who is it you want to find?" asked Isabelle. Clary's face closed off, as if she was realizing that she had just revealed too much.

"None of your business," she responded shortly, brushing past them out onto the sidewalk, starting towards the Institute. Jace, Alec, and Izzy ran after her, questions flying out of their mouths, such as, "Who are you looking for? Why are you cornering a demon without backup?" et cetera. Once they got to the front steps of the Institute, Clary turned around so she was facing them, her body tense and her eyes fuming with anger. Her eyes flickered to each of them while she said, "Like I said before, it's none of your business. So butt out!"

She started turning back towards the front doors when Jace asked, "Does the Clave know about this?" Clary focused her eyes on him.

"Yes, Jace. The Clave does know about this. Now, if you excuse me, I have to figure out a new lead, since you let my other one get away." At that, Clary turned and stalked back into the Institute, leaving the other three bewildered Shadowhunters behind her.

.o.O.o.

Clary got to her room in record time. _Why can't everyone just leave me alone? Now I have to start at square one. I was so close to finding him. Why did they have to show up_ right _then? Seriously!_ Clary thought to herself while getting into a shower. She stood under the water longer than usual, letting it soothe her tense muscles. Clary groaned as the water turned cold. She shut off the water and grabbed a towel. Wrapping it around herself, she left headed over to the dresser. Clary put some boyshorts, a sports bra, and a tank top. Clary was about to get into bed when her stomach growled audibly. She sighed, grabbing her phone and heading out to the kitchen to grab a quick dinner. She turned the corner, scrolling through her missed calls and messages when she ran right into something hard. Her phone flew to the ground, making a cracking sound. She looked up to see who she ran into. It was Jace. She groaned inwardly as he looked at her smirking. With a sigh, she bent to retrieve her phone, noticing that there were cracks splintering throughout the screen. She stood up and said, "Great! You just broke my phone. Now I need to get a new one. Thanks a lot!"

"How is this my fault? If you had been watching where you were walking, and not staring at your phone screen, you would've seen me!" he snapped back.

"Ughh whatever," she said, annoyed. As she stalked past him, she brushed past him, bumping into his shoulder none too kindly. He grunted slightly at the impact. She walked down the hall and entered the kitchen. She rummaged through the fridge until she found a chicken caesar salad. She turned around and jumped slightly. Jace was leaning against the opposite end of the island, his elbows on the countertop. _How does he do that without me noticing?_ she wondered to herself. He just stared at her. Getting irritated, she snapped, "What?" Jace just stared at her with an unreadable expression.

After a few beats he said, "Why were you in that alley with that demon? What is _so important_ that you are willing to risk your life by going head-to-head with a demon _by yourself_?" Thoughts swirled in her head about that night; the night that started it all and would answer Jace's questions, the night she constantly tried to forget, the night that turned all her dreams into nightmares, the night in which she lost it all. When she didn't answer him, he just asked again. "What are you hiding Clary?" At that she looked up at him and gave him a glare that could melt metal.

" _Enough_. It is _none_ of your _goddamn business_! Stop sticking your nose where it doesn't f⭑cking belong!" she responded, seething. She turned and stomped out of the kitchen.

.o.O.o.

Jace stood in the kitchen for a few minutes after Clary had gone back to her room. He hadn't expected her to respond so angrily. Sure, in the past she had shown some hostility towards him, but this time, he had struck a nerve. She was fuming; he had honestly thought that smoke was going to start coming out of her ears. He wondered who she had been searching for when they'd found her in the alley earlier that night. As he walked back to his room, he thought about Clary. Just Clary. He thought about how she was different than other girls he had known. She was mysterious, feisty, and she could keep up with Jace, physically and verbally. When she had hit his shoulder with her body, he couldn't help but grunt. It had actually hurt, showing her strength. She was smart, he could tell. Along with all of this, she could _fight_. Clary was incredible, and Jace was starting to have feelings for her, although he didn't want to admit it to himself.

.o.O.o.

Jace woke up to sunlight blinding him. He groaned, rolling over. His thoughts wandered to Clary and what she was hiding. _If the Clave knows, then Maryse must know_ , Jace thought. Getting out of bed, Jace quickly threw on some jeans and a shirt and headed towards the library that doubled as Maryse's office. He knocked on the door. "Come in," said Maryse. She glanced up from her work and smiled at him. "Good morning Jace. Did you need something?"

"Um… sort of. I was wondering if you could tell me about who Clary is trying to find."

"I can't, I'm sorry," replied Maryse.

"Why not? If I know, then maybe I can help."

"I really can't tell you. Clary signed an agreement a little over a year ago with the Clave that said that she couldn't drag anyone else into this investigation unless they were a vital part. That way, if something bad happens, it only endangers her. Unless she absolutely needs to tell you, I am sworn to secrecy." Jace sighed. _It was worth a shot_ , Jace thought.

"Alright. Then I'm going to get some breakfast."

"Okay. I think the others are in there too." Jace turned and headed down the hallway towards the kitchen. As he neared, he heard voices. Opening the door, he saw Isabelle making breakfast, while Clary and Alec sat off to the side. Clary was talking to Isabelle about something, as Alec stared at the food Izzy was making. He looked genuinely scared at whatever concoction Izzy had placed in front of him. Isabelle picked up a plate and dumped what almost looked like pancakes, bacon, and eggs onto a plate, and handed it to Clary. Clary picked up her fork and was about to dig in when Jace rushed forward, pulling the plate away from her. She jumped and looked at him with her eyebrows raised.

"Um Jace? Can I have my food back? I'm starving," she said, confused and obviously annoyed.

"No. I'm saving your life right now. Isabelle's cooking will kill you from the inside out." Isabelle looked at him in irritation.

"It's not disgusting Jace," said Isabelle.

"Yes, it is," said Alec bluntly. He looked at Izzy. "Izzy, you're cooking should be used as a weapon in wars."

"It's really _that_ bad?" Clary asked incredulously.

"Yes," Alec and Jace said in unison. Isabelle was about to respond when Maryse poked her head in.

"Clary, there's someone here to see you," she said with a smile. Clary gave her a puzzled look. They all went out of the kitchen, Clary going last.

"I can't honestly believe that you're coo-," she said, stopping mid sentence. Clary froze in the middle of the hallway when she saw who it was. "Jonathon," she breathed.


	5. Chapter 5

***Please Read***

 **Hey guys!**

 **I wanted to apologize for not updating in a while. I do, however, have a perfectly good reason… I have a concussion. I got my concussion on April 2 and have had it since. This has made doing things like functioning properly very difficult (that's a joke, sort of) I haven't really been allowed to be on the computer or my phone unless it's for school so… I have gotten quite a bit better in the last like two and a half weeks, so I am now allowed to continue writing fanfiction. It's been so annoying not being able to write fanfiction because I have thought of SO many other ideas, but I haven't been able to actually type them out. Now that it is summer break, and I have no life XD, I'll upload a lot more. Another thing, I went back and edited some of the chapters before this. The one I changed the most was Chapter 4. I originally had a scene with Jace and Clary where they sort of let each other in, but I felt that it was too soon in the story for that. Also, it wasn't befitting of the way I'm trying to portray Clary's character in this fanfic. It showed more of her soft side, but I didn't feel that it was time for that yet. So, I strongly suggest that you go back and read that chapter, but you don't absolutely have to.**

 **Anyways, I just wanted to apologize again for not uploading in awhile, so without further ado…. Chapter 5!**

 _Previously:_

" _Clary, there's someone here to see you," she said with a smile. Clary gave her a puzzled look. They all went out of the kitchen, Clary going last._

" _I can't honestly believe that you're coo-," she said, stopping mid sentence. Clary froze in the middle of the hallway when she saw who it was. "Jonathon," she breathed._

.o.O.o.

An unsettling silence washed over the hallway as everyone waited for either Clary or the other guy to react. The man, who Jace presumed to be Jonathan, had hair so blond it looked silver, green eyes, and was very tall, maybe 6'3". He reached an arm up to rub his neck, his eyes flicking to the ground. They flicked back up to Clary as a nervous smile settled on his face. "Hey Clare-bear," he whispered. It felt as though time stopped; no one moved, no one breathed. After what seemed like an eternity, a smile slowly made its way onto Clary's face, stretching into a full-blown grin that lit up the room, making her eyes sparkle. Before anyone knew what was happening, she launched herself at Jonathan, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist as she buried her face in the crook of his neck. The force of her hug made him take a few steps back as he tried to get his balance. Once he regained his composure, he squeezed his arms around her back so tightly it looked as though he was going to crush her. He squeezed his eyes shut and buried his face in her neck as well, her hair slightly covering his face. Suddenly, Clary's shoulders started to shake and her quiet sobs echoed in the long hallway. This only made Jonathan squeeze her body tighter than Jace thought possible. A sudden flare of jealousy went through Jace; he wished he was the one that made her face light up in a smile as it had earlier, he wished that he was the one comforting her as sobs wracked her body, he wished, he wished, he wished.

.o.O.o.

After a few moments Clary reluctantly disentangled herself from their embrace. Then a flare of anger went through her body. She stepped back and punched Jonathan in the arm, _hard_. He looked at her with an incredulous expression, while slightly rubbing the sore spot that was sure to bruise later on. Then he started speaking to her, but in a way that the others around them wouldn't be able to understand; he was speaking in their secret language. They made it up when they were little, and it grew as they did, becoming more and more extensive and complex. Since they made it when they were children, it obviously had a childish name; it was called Shadows, so they would say that they were speaking in Shadows. It was originally a way for them to communicate to each other without their parents knowing what they were saying, but as time moved on, it became more and more helpful. No one else knew about it, therefore no one could translate it. "What was that for?" he asked, referring to the punch.

"That was for leaving me; leaving me to take care of our parents' bodies, leaving me to grow up quicker than I should've had to, leaving me with all of the pity looks and meaningless condolences," she said, angry tears brimming her eyes. "For leaving me," she whispered quietly, looking down at her shoes.

"Oh, by the Angel, Clare, I'm so so so sorry. Please believe me when I say that. I'll tell you why I left later, I promise, but when we don't have an audience," he said, looking into her eyes before flicking up to those around them. This seemed to bring Clary to compose herself. She wiped her tears hastily and looked up at the bewildered faces of their fellow Shadowhunters and cleared her throat.

"Sorry. Guys, this is my brother Jonathan," she said, now speaking in English.

.o.O.o.

When they had untangled themselves from each other, Jace had expected Clary to immediately turn towards them and introduce the guy, but instead she punched him in the arm. This amused Jace, especially when he saw how much that had to hurt. Then, to the entire room's surprise, Clary and the guy started speaking to each other in a strange language. Jace looked around at everyone else's faces to see if they recognized the language, because he sure as hell didn't. They too had the same bewildered expressions, even Maryse. Jace looked back at Clary to see her hastily wipe away her tears before turning towards them. She cleared her throat and said, in English, "Sorry. Guys, this is my brother Jonathan." _Her brother? Thank the Angel… wait, what? Why am I relieved?_ Jace thought to himself. "Jon, this is Alec, Isabelle, Jace, and you know Maryse," Clary said gesturing to each of them. "They have another brother, Max, but he's still sleeping I think."

"It's nice to see you again Jonathan. It's been a while," said Maryse.

"You too Maryse," replied Jonathan.

"You have a brother?" asked Isabelle incredulously.

"To be fair Iz, we just met her a few days ago," reminded Alec.

"So, Jonathan," said Maryse, directing the conversation away from the brewing argument between her kids, "what brings you to the Institute, or New York for that matter?"

"Well, I wanted, no needed, to see my little sis," he replied, giving Clary a small smile, which she returned. "Which reminds me, I have something for you outside," he said smirking at Clary knowingly. She stared back at him, trying to decipher what Jonathan meant. "Come on, Clare, you know the rules," he said giving her a pointed look. She sighed dramatically, making Jon chuckle, before closing her eyes and holding her hands out. Jon took them in his hands and led her outside of the Institute doors and down the steps, everyone following quietly behind. He stopped walking and said, "Alright, wait here, and no peeking." He disappeared around the corner and came back a few seconds later rolling out a motorcycle. Jace had to admit that it was beautiful; it was matte black Ducati Supersport with gold stripes running down the sides. Jonathan rolled it so that it was perched directly in front of Clary. "Okay, Clare-bear, you can open your eyes now." She did as he said, and squealed, which is a sound Jace honestly didn't think would ever come from her mouth, but he liked it.

"My baby!" she exclaimed as she rushed forwards and ran her hands over it, inspecting every square inch before launching herself at Jonathan in a bone-crushing hug. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she squealed. Jonathan chuckled and put her back down on the ground.

"You're welcome sis. I know it's a few days late from your birthday, but I figured you wouldn't mind." He grabbed a black helmet from beneath the seat and handed it to her. "Alright, take it for a spin baby sis." She eagerly took the helmet from him, put it on, and slid onto the bike. She turned the key and started it up. The bike let out a beautiful roar, and Clary moaned slightly, both of which making Jace slightly turned on. She revved the engine and took off down the Institutes driveway, out of the gates, and down the street.

"That was a very nice gift Jonathan," said Maryse.

"I know it was a little expensive," Jonathan said, reading between the lines of Maryse's comment, "but Clary lost her old bike in a crash a while back and never had the money to replace it. I also missed her last birthday, so I figured I needed to make it up to her."

"You and I both know that that is not the entire reason you got her that bike Jonathan," Maryse said giving him a pointed look. He looked at his feet guiltily.

"I know Maryse."

 **Sorry if the ending for this chapter seemed a little incomplete, I didn't really know where to end it and just decided that this was the best place.**

 **So, one of the only things I have been allowed to do while recovering is listen to music. I love finding new music and deciding if I like it or not so if you have some suggestions for me, comment below. If you are also a fellow music fanatic like yours truly, I have some suggestions for you: any song by Billie Eilish; any song by FRENSHIP; California girls, Freak Like Me, or Wait by NoMBe; I Feel Like I'm Drowning by Two Feet; Hearts by Jessie Ware; Where's My Love by SYML; Talk Too Much by Coin; and Be Mine by Ofenbach. I have so many more suggestions, but those are some of my top ones right now. :) If you want more suggestions, ask away.**

 **Also, something exciting is that my birthday was on May 23rd! I turned 16! YAY! I haven't started driving yet though because I am also recovering from a knee injury (In July of 2017 I dislocated my knee, and knee injuries like this one, especially mine, take longer to recover), and I also don't have the all clear from my concussion doctor either. I am also so freaked out to start driving because, well, people on the road are CRAZY, and I tend to psych myself out in some situations so…**

 **Anyways, please review below. I love reading them, whether they are suggestions or just comments asking me to continue. Both fuel my desire to write more.**


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